Soil Acidity

The role of Soil Acidity in the Vineyard

Cover crops also increase acidity because they need high pH nutrients such as Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium. When the crops remove these nutrients from the soil, it becomes more acidic. Different cover crops remove different amounts of these nutrients from the soil.

Rains will leech high pH nutrients deeper into the ground and make the topsoil more acidic. As soils dry, their salt content rises toward the surface and acidity increases. Many fertilizers, especially nitrogen, will lower the pH of a vineyard’s soil and make it more acidic.

Liming land will lower its acidity. Ground Aglime is a powder form of lime that is to vineyards that have very low pH levels. This often occurs in soils that are derived from the Sonoma Volcanics in both Sonoma and Napa Counties.

Soils with high pH levels increase the acidity of resulting grapes. Burgundian varietals are valued for acidity and thrive in high pH limestone soils.